Even though there might be a gentleman’s agreement between the Cowboys and their signal-caller, it doesn’t seem like a risk worth taking.
One would think that the Dallas Cowboys would be working to strengthen their weak areas while reinforcing the ones that function well after yet another poor season. Surprisingly, the franchise currently appears to be headed down a pretty dangerous route, so it doesn’t appear that way in the quarterback’s case.
Cowboys don’t plan to offer Dak Prescott contract extension
To be clear, Prescott is a quarterback and deserves a franchise tag even though he may not be the greatest in the NFL. After all, this is the same athlete who, in 2021, inked a four-year contract worth $160 million, playing in a way more than worthy of that sum while healthy. In fact, Prescott ran arguably his strongest campaign to date in the most recent one. He led the NFL in throwing touchdowns (36), and he set career highs in both passer rating (105.7) and completion percentage (69.5).
Ultimately, the 30-year-old was third in passing yards (4,516), seventh in yards per attempt (7.7), and second in QBR (72.7) among regular starts. Nevertheless, keeping all of those figures in mind, he will start the 2024–25 season with an annual salary of $36 million, ranking 11th in the league, and without the prospect of a contract extension.
Why then do the Cowboys not think highly of Dak Prescott?
If there’s a straightforward explanation, it lies in the term “postseason,” or more accurately, its absence. There hasn’t been much playoff success for the Cowboys since selecting him in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Of course, Prescott’s presence has nothing to do with that. Since winning the Super Bowl in 1996, “America’s Team” has only won five postseason games. This is anything but prolific.
In other words, the issue is much bigger than Dak Prescott can handle. At this point, the business aspect of the case becomes apparent because Prescott’s circumstances and the numbers closely align. First off, the wage cap was raised by almost $30 million for 2024 and is predicted to rise again in the upcoming offseason. Prescott is most likely due for a significant pay increase if that turns out to be the truth, given quarterback salaries are most likely going up.
The former Offensive Rookie of the Year (2016) is in his prime at 30 years old, so it would be foolish for the Cowboys to bet on him to perform poorly. That’s not even taking into account the possibility that they will have to give him a huge raise or let him leave.
